In large commercial washers used in on-premise commercial laundries, chemicals, such as detergent and various wash water additives, are held in reservoirs, such as plastic barrels, remote from the washer and are supplied to the washer via peristaltic pumps that direct the chemical through respective hoses to the washing machine for dispensing into the wash water. Current chemical dispenser systems to which the chemical supply hoses connect have been relatively costly and problem prone.
Such dispenser systems commonly have a plastic body mounted in a back side of the washing machine with molded ports to which the chemical supply hoses are connected, which selectively supply the chemicals into the dispenser for direction into wash water. Such dispensers are made of relatively inexpensive plastic material that can be susceptible to the corrosive effects of chemicals commonly used in clothes washing operations and breakage or leakage from over stressing or loose clamping of the hose connectors, resulting in the undiluted chemicals running down the side of the machine onto other components of the machine or into the discharge hose of the dispenser, which can lead to deterioration of the discharge hose. If strain reliefs or ports are assembled as individual parts into the dispenser, this requires more components and assembly time, resulting in higher costs. Moreover, when it is necessary to remove the back panel of the washing machine for service or repair, each of the chemical supply hoses must be individually disconnected from the ports of the dispenser. Reconnection of the multiplicity of hoses further increases a risk of port damage and leakage from improper hose clamping.